:( there's a 5 year old at x's school

[Kristinmo]

What are the laws where you live?

[Deleted]

I was shocked at the number of kids without car seats in Mia's kindergarten class whenever I chaperoned a field trip.

[wambam]

I have a question. Do these kids have a booster seat on the bus to kindergarten?

[karmasabiotch]

I'm surprised too at the number of kids I see without boosters.

[karmasabiotch]

Oct 1, 2014 8:26:40 GMT -5 wambam said:

I have a question. Do these kids have a booster seat on the bus to kindergarten?

No but the seats are allegedly made closer to the seat in front of them to avoid much room in the event of an accident. My child doesn't ride a bus except for field trips but it worries me.

[eav2c]

This seems unfortunately common to me. My nephew just turned 5 and I don't think they use a booster or anything.

[ProfessorArtNerd]

Yeah, there's a dumbass drop off system at Lucy's school, where the teachers help the kids out of the cars. To make it go faster, a lot of parents are driving to school without seats!

Ironically, this drop off shit show is supposed to be for safety reason sooooo

[papie]

Oct 1, 2014 8:26:40 GMT -5 wambam said:

I have a question. Do these kids have a booster seat on the bus to kindergarten?

Buses are considered safe to ride without seatbelts. So not the same. Our daycare does field trips with the 3-4 yo is buses but you bet they are still in a car seat at home.

[stellas]

Did you see IN the car? They could have a backless booster or integrated booster.

[Deleted]

Yeah, my nephew just turned five and he is not in any kind of car seat. My SIL got pissy with me a few weeks ago because I wouldn't let him ride in my car without one, so she had to go find it in the garage. Oh well.

[sailorgray]

My H's cousin's son always wants to ride with us when we visit and whenever I ask where his booster seat is (he just turned5), the dad looks at me like I'm nuts. I hate it. It puts us in a very awkward situation. This is the same cousin that thought I was crazy when I made my little boys wear helmets to ride 4-wheelers around their property. My guys were 2 and 4. Luckily, he was able to dig out a bike helmet. Nice guy, but good Lord.

[Kristinmo]

Oct 1, 2014 8:39:54 GMT -5 @smace said:

Oct 1, 2014 8:25:40 GMT -5 Kristinmo said:

What are the laws where you live?

This might be old though. I know the laws recently changed to be a little more safe.

While I am with you that he should absolutely still be in a seat I have a hard time judging if it's not against the law. They may just not be educated enough to know better. I probably wouldn't know better if it wasn't from my years on the nest/bump.

[readyin07]

my kid is 6 in January and still in a convertible. It is a bit of a pain in the butt at carline bc he can buckle and unbuckle the top part but not the bottom. If it holds up the line a little whole I turn around and do it then too bad so sad.

[esdreturns]

Oct 1, 2014 8:29:58 GMT -5 chilerellanos said:

I see this all the time. People think I'm so weird because my 8 year old is still in a booster.

Same here. My son is almost 8 and tall for age, but I still have him in his booster. I am pretty sure he is one of his only friends that still uses one.

[Kristinmo]

Oct 1, 2014 8:46:36 GMT -5 @smace said:

Oct 1, 2014 8:45:01 GMT -5 Kristinmo said:

While I am with you that he should absolutely still be in a seat I have a hard time judging if it's not against the law. They may just not be educated enough to know better. I probably wouldn't know better if it wasn't from my years on the nest/bump.

It is against the law. 5 and under needs to be in a seat. He is not.

I misread. I thought it was under 5.

[zzuvet]

Oct 1, 2014 8:33:27 GMT -5 @themommymonster said:

I know our state law is 8 years/80lbs before they can be out of a carseat.

Most children should be in a booster until they are 11/12. They have to be tall enough for a seat belt to rest safely across their shoulder.

I think based on height alone I should still be in a booster seat. The seat belt hits me at the neck.

I have seen my sister let my almost 4 year old nephew ride without a carseat because he is the size of a 7 year old. I judged.

[redheadk]

This isn't shocking to me. Very, very few of the kids at my school were still in any type of booster (pk-5 campus). The worst were the 4 year olds sitting in the front seat with no seatbelt.

We had a single file line and most of the parents who used harness restraints would pull to the side of the line after picking up their kid and buckle in there so as not to impede the flow of pick up.

[jlt19]

Yeah, my kids will be in convertibles until they outgrow them. Hope they aren't peanuts at 8, sorry loves!

[CajunShrimp]

A friend has her 3.5 year old in a backless booster because he is "so big" (FWIW, he is one inch taller than my son, so maybe 43 inches?). She told me K should be in one too, and that I was 'babying' him. I told her she was free to think that whatever she wanted, but K was staying in his convertible seat until he reaches the weight limit, and then he goes into a HBB. She was laughing. Whatever, lady. I hope you never get in an accident.

[esdreturns]

Oct 1, 2014 8:56:07 GMT -5 redheadk said:

This isn't shocking to me. Very, very few of the kids at my school were still in any type of booster (pk-5 campus). The worst were the 4 year olds sitting in the front seat with no seatbelt.

We had a single file line and most of the parents who used harness restraints would pull to the side of the line after picking up their kid and buckle in there so as not to impede the flow of pick up.

I'm trying hard not to clutch my pearls at this. Front seat, no seatbelt?? I'm usually a pretty easy going parent, but car seats and car safety always gets me going.

[redheadk]

Oct 1, 2014 9:00:23 GMT -5 esdreturns said:

Oct 1, 2014 8:56:07 GMT -5 redheadk said:

This isn't shocking to me. Very, very few of the kids at my school were still in any type of booster (pk-5 campus). The worst were the 4 year olds sitting in the front seat with no seatbelt.

We had a single file line and most of the parents who used harness restraints would pull to the side of the line after picking up their kid and buckle in there so as not to impede the flow of pick up.

I'm trying hard not to clutch my pearls at this. Front seat, no seatbelt?? I'm usually a pretty easy going parent, but car seats and car safety always gets me going.

Yep, and there wasn't much we could do about it. It was a high poverty area and the admins didn't want to get involved. It was stomach turning to load kids in cars.

[bonnie]

Buses are compartmentalized, like an egg carton. The seat in front protects the kids behind it. The seat backs are cushioned, taller and close to the kids sitting behind to protect them. Plus buses are big and that helps too.

[shortstax]

Dumb question - if you have a child in the 5-8 year old range, do you keep extra boosters in your car for when to transport their friends? I'm thinking carpool to soccer and stuff like that. How does that work?

[craftyone]

I heard recently kids should be 57 inches and around 100lbs before switching to the seatbelt. Here in VA we have that the kids should be in a carseat until age 8, no weight limit. I know my kids will be in a carseat probably until they are ready to drive. My 5 year old is only 36 pounds. There is no way that I would go without a booster or carseat at 8.

[craftyone]

I think there are various reasons why there are not seatbelts in buses. The weight of the bus, the height of the bus, how it is designed. My husband's friend is a firefighter and he explained that it was safer to ride in a bus than a car.

[EmilieMadison]

Oct 1, 2014 8:35:31 GMT -5 @smace said:

Oct 1, 2014 8:26:40 GMT -5 wambam said:

I have a question. Do these kids have a booster seat on the bus to kindergarten?

EmilieMadison. You have a better response as to why seats are not required in buses and why it does not mean that children are a-ok in regular seats at this age.

Yep. HERE YOU GO

[calmcosmo]

My kindergartener is still harnessed and will be for the forseeable future. Same for my "huge" almost 4 year old.

My nephews are always moved more quickly than I would be comfortable with. But they are at least being legal about things.

[zzuvet]

Oct 1, 2014 9:14:45 GMT -5 craftyone said:

I heard recently kids should be 57 inches and around 100lbs before switching to the seatbelt. Here in VA we have that the kids should be in a carseat until age 8, no weight limit. I know my kids will be in a carseat probably until they are ready to drive. My 5 year old is only 36 pounds. There is no way that I would go without a booster or carseat at 8.

My kids are doomed. My 3 year old is 25 lbs :-( I am only 54 inches tall and didnt break 100lbs until I got pregnant at 22, I guess I need a booster to drive haha.

[irishbride2]

I teach in a school that is 5th-8th grade. I've seen 5th graders get into a booster during car line if they are still too small for the seat belt to fit correctly.


And our prek (same school, different division) does have a bus with carseats and the lower grades have boosters for the buses.

Thats all I have to add.

[Deleted]

Oct 1, 2014 9:13:44 GMT -5 shortstax said:

Dumb question - if you have a child in the 5-8 year old range, do you keep extra boosters in your car for when to transport their friends? I'm thinking carpool to soccer and stuff like that. How does that work?

We have an extra backless booster that we keep in my trunk or my husbands car. Or I ask the other parents for their booster seat. If you don't have one and I can't provide one I don't drive your kid in my car. I don't want the responsiblity of something happening to your child and them not being in the car seat.